OK, first off I will preface this with the fact the In have been riding a very long time, long before mountain bikes were even an idea and I raced a bunch of USCF stuff way back when. Your enjoyment of the riding experience should never be attenuated by the negativity of others. Do what feels natural and comfortable to you - you seem like a reasonable person from your brief post, and if there are some "local hotshoes" who look askance at your preferences for hydration needs being met by a camelback you need to find some new riding partners. I never underestimate a guy wearing a camelback, and I have had my shorts handed to me by some truly world class racers.